Baseball

GREENEVILLE, TN -- Catawba senior Matt Fairweather (Lenoir, NC) tossed seven strong innings and set a new school record with his 30th career victory as the top-seeded Indians defeated eight-seeded Presbyterian 11-2 in an opening round game of the 2005 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament on Thursday night at Poineer Park on the campus of Tusculum College. Catawba improves to 34-17 and advances to Friday’s semifinal against fifth-seeded Wingate. Presbyterian, now 15-34, will meet Mars Hill in an elimination game on Friday morning at Carson-Newman College’s Silver Diamond Complex.Fairweather surrendered two first-inning runs to the Blue Hose then shutout PC for his final six innings. He allowed seven hits while walking three and striking out nine. He had a stretch of 11 straight retired batters in the middle innings. Presbyterian struck with two outs in the first as Matt Bodie doubled in Robert Rodenbaugh, who had walked, and Lance Howard delivered a RBI-single.

Catawba took the lead in the third as David Thomas was hit by a pitch to open the frame and would score on Matt Smith’s ensuing double. Smith scored on a groundout by Jimbo Davis and Chad Baker collected a two-out single to plate Matt Baker for the go-ahead run.

Smith would deliver a sacrifice fly for Catawba in the fourth, while the Tribe added two in the fifth on a run-scoring triple by Chad Baker and a sacrifice fly by Thomas Giles. Catawba broke the game open with a four-run sixth, getting two-run singles by Aaron Rimer and Giles.

Every Catawba starter had a hit with Nick Lefko leading the way with a four-for-five effort. Rimer and Chad Baker each had two hits, while Giles had a team-leading three RBI. Nick Hoffner had three hits to pace the Blue Hose. Fairweather improved to 8-2 on the mound for Catawba.